Cisco Network Consultants

Cisco offers a comprehensive line of wireless LAN products and technologies that enable anywhere, anytime connections to information and resources and to facilitate teamwork among employees, associates, vendors, and clients. Cisco's wireless product families include the Small Business, Aironet and Meraki lines of access points, as well as Cisco's Wireless Network Controller modules and appliances. Progent's Cisco-certified wireless consultants can help businesses of any size to utilize Cisco wireless technology to support the current paradigm of Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) computing by converging their wired/wireless ecosystems to benefit from easy deployment, consistent and fast throughput, single-point management, enterprise-wide policy enforcement, fault tolerance, and across-the-board protection.

Cisco's Unified Wireless architecture can scale to up to 18,000 APs with full Layer 3 mobility across local or offsite venues such as enterprise campuses, university auditoriums, branch offices, and home offices. Cisco's 802.11x APs and wireless controllers are part of Cisco's Unified Wireless Network and are designed to support the identical level of security, throughput, and manageability for WLANs that businesses demand in their wired infrastructure. Cisco's technology incorporates built-in mobile services like IP voice, HD video, and safe guest connectivity. Cisco's Unified Wireless solution allows organizations to create wireless ecosystems that improve the way they do business and improve productivity via a dynamic and collaborative employee base.

Progent's Cisco-certified network consulting services offers online or on-premises support to assist your organization to plan, deploy, manage, upgrade, and troubleshoot converged wired and wireless networks of all sizes and for any venue. Also, Progent offers value-priced remote and onsite wireless site surveys to help your company to plan and install a Wi-Fi LAN with customized AP clusters optimized for your individual office layout, building structure, and application workloads.

Small Business, Aironet, Meraki and Catalyst Wireless Access Points (APs)
Cisco's Small Business, Aironet, Meraki and Catalyst families of access points allow you to integrate wired/wireless infrastructure to provide the accessibility, density, performance, protection and manageability needed for virtually any scenario. These access points range from bare bones, single-radio 802.11b/g/n devices with throughput of 300 Mbps for very small companies or telecommuters to 802.11ax APs suitable for handling hundreds of clients per access point and offering sustained data rates in excess of 5 Gb. Cisco's latest selection of wireless access points can be combined or clustered to deliver the scale to support wireless networks crowded with clients and with high usage rates of HD video apps.

Small Business 100, 300 and 500 Series of APs
Cisco's Small Business Family of wireless access points are Linux-powered units designed as entry-level wireless solutions for small offices. Most versions in Cisco's Small Business portfolio of APs support Cisco's Single Point Setup technology, which makes it possible to configure, manage and troubleshoot a group of access points from one AP through a simple web browser tool. All of the versions support POE and provide Quality of Service (QoS), rogue AP awareness, and bridge mode for wirelessly connecting to another network.

The Cisco Small Business WAP121 AP is a wall-mountable, single-band 2.4GHz unit that can support 16 802.11n clients, has a 10/100 Ethernet interface, permits up to 4 access pointss and 40 active wireless clients per cluster, and can handle sustained throughput of 300 Mbps. Cisco's Small Business WAP131 is a desktop dual-band 2.4/5 GHz 802.11a/b/g/n wireless access point able to support 16 active wireless clients on each radio for a total of up to 32 clients, features a 10/100/1000 Ethernet LAN interface, and can support throughput of 300 Mbps for each radio. The WAP131 Wireless-N does not allow AP clustering. Cisco's Small Business WAP150 is a value-priced Wave 1 dual-radio 802.11ac/n access point that includes a 1xGE Poe port and can support 16 clients from each radio with 867 Mbps throughput for AC devices and 300 Mbps for 802.11n clients. Cisco's Small Business WAP150 supports 4 APs per cluster.

Cisco's Small Business WAP321 Wireless-N model is a wallmount single-band (2.4 or 5 GHz) 802.11a/b/g/n device with support for 80 wireless clients in an 8-device cluster. The Cisco WAP321 has a Gigabit Ethernet interface and can support throughput of 300 Mbps for the selected radio. The Cisco WAP351 is a dual-band 2.4/5 GHz 802.11n wireless access point with a 5-port Gigabit Ethernet interface and can support 32 active wireless clients on each radio for up to 64 active clients, and deliver sustained throughput of 300 Mbps per radio. The WAP351 access point does not support clustering. Cisco's Small Business WAP361 is a dual-radio 802.11ac access point that includes a 5 x Gb Ethernet LAN switch, allows 32 active WLAN clients on each radio, and delivers 867 Mbps throughput for 802.11ac clients and 300 Mbps performance for 802.11n devices. The Cisco Small Business WAP361 supports eight WAP361 access points per cluster. Cisco's wallmount Small Business WAP371 Wireless-AC/N is a dual-band AP that works with 802.11a/b/g/n as well as the new 802.11ac wireless networking standard. The WAP371 Wireless-AC/N has a GE port, can support 32 wireless clients per radio, and eight access points per cluster.

Cisco's WAP561 802.11n Selectable Band AP features a GE LAN interface and dual radios that offer 450 Mbps performance for each radio, support 64 clients for each radio, and allow up to 16 APs for each cluster. Cisco's WAP551 is similar to Cisco's WAP 561 but features a single selectable band. The Cisco WAP571 and WAP571E (the weather-proof outside model) are dual-radio Wireless-AC/N APs that feature 2 x GE ports with link aggregation (LAG), and as high as 1.9 Gigabit/sec throughput with 1300 Mbps over 11ac and 600 Mbps on 11n. Both wireless access points support 32 active WAN clients per radio and 16 access points on each cluster.

The Cisco WAP581 Wireless-AC Dual Radio Wave 2 AP complies with the Wi-Fi 5 specification and features 4x4 and 3x3 MU-MIMO to provide 2.8 Gbps throughput on the 5.0-Ghz radio and 0.6 Gbps on the 2.4-GHz radio for a total max throughput of 2.4 Gbps. The WAP581 includes an integrated 2.5G Ethernet interface and a 10/100/1000 Ethernet LAN interface with 802.3at PoE. The WAP581 Wave 2 Wi-Fi 5 access point can handle as many as 200 connective users, a maximum of 50 active client users for each radio, 16 access points per cluster, and 960 active client users per cluster.

For more information about Progent's consulting services for current and older Cisco Small Business family of WiFi APs, see Cisco Small Business 100, 300 and 500 wireless access points consulting services.

The Aironet Line of Wireless Access Points
Cisco's Aironet portfolio of indoor and outdoor wireless APs has for years been the market leading AP product. Aironet wireless access points range from entry-level devices to advanced units. Cisco's Aironet line cover several generations of models supporting the continually improving 802 standard. Cisco's current line of Aironet access points support Cisco's Unified Wireless Network architecture and come with 802.11ac Wi-Fi technology, which offers three times the throughput as well as greater coverage and density in comparison to the prior generation of APs. The latest dual-band Aironet APs can support 802.11n at 2.4 GHz for clients without 802.11ac radios.

The earliest Aironet APs are now outdated units that have reached end-of-life status and are no longer fully supported by Cisco. Progent continues to support the complete Aironet family of wireless access points and can help your company to maintain your current Aironet wireless environment or upgrade cost effectively to current Aironet technology. For details about Progent's support for both current and legacy Aironet wireless access points, refer to Cisco Aironet APs consulting.

Meraki Wireless Access Points
Cisco's family of Meraki 2.4/5 GHz indoor APs include value-priced models for general use to enterprise-class units supporting up to 5.9 Gigabit per second throughput. Every Meraki indoor AP provides next-generation capabilities like self-configuring deployment, advanced security, Bring-Your-Own-Device support, extensive analytics, automatic over-the-web firmware updates, and centralized cloud management via an intuitive dashboard. Each Meraki indoor AP also incorporates two powerful radios with enhanced receive sensitivity as well as a separate radio that provides (WIDS/WIPS) security for RF analysis and deep packet inspection at line rate.

Meraki outdoor wireless access points are IP67 rated, built to withstand harsh outdoor environments, and able to withstand dust, shock and moisture. Meraki outdoor access points include a Gigabit Ethernet port and offer advanced capabilities such as cloud management with network-wide visibility, native Active Directory integration, built-in antivirus scan (NAC), single-click secure guest access and isolation firewall, Layer 7 traffic shaping, plus self-configuring mesh with beamforming. For details about Progent's support for Cisco's Meraki APs and management tools, see Cisco's Meraki APs consulting.

Catalyst 9100 Family of 802.11ax Access Points
Cisco's Catalyst 9100 Series Wi-Fi 6 access points are designed for environments ranging from home offices to crowded stadiums. Cisco Catalyst 9100 APs are based on the 802.11ax standard, referred to as Wi-Fi 6, which is an evolution of the preceding 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) specification. Unlike 802.11ac, Wi-Fi 6 is able to use both the 2.4-Ghz and 5-GHz bands. Headline technologies supported by Catalyst 9100 Series APs include OFDMA scheduling for high density deployments, dual NAVs for improved reliability, Target Wake Time for conserving power usage in battery-dependent endpoints, adaptive power and sensitivity thresholds for better spectrum utilization, and dynamic fragmentation for reduced overhead. All Cisco Catalyst 9100 Series Wi-Fi 6 APs support Cisco's EWC, accommodate as many as 200 clients per radio, and run on Cisco IOS XE Software. For more information about Progent's support for Catalyst 9100 Family of 802.11ax APs, see Wi-Fi 6 APs solution planning, configuration, and troubleshooting consulting.

Cisco 9800 Series 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 Wireless Controllers
Cisco Catalyst 9800 family of Wi-Fi 6-compatible wireless LAN controllers help you automate and manage modern Wi-Fi networks that incorporate 802.11ax APs. The 802.11ax standard, also called Wi-Fi 6, improves on prior generation 802.11ac (called Wi-Fi 5) appliances by providing less latency and more predictable performance, allowing higher client user density, providing enhanced protection, conserving energy for battery-dependent handheld devices, and allowing more flexibility for supporting new kinds of IoT endpoints. Cisco's Catalyst 9800 family wireless controllers include high availability with seamless software upgrades, live patching, and the ability to add Wi-Fi access points without disruption of service. Advanced cybersecurity features include Cisco Wireless Intrusion Prevention System (WIPS), secure boot, and Software-Defined Access (SD-Access). Streaming telemetry allows you to monitor and analyze network and client health.

All devices in the Catalyst 9800 family are based on Cisco's IOS XE Software and work with Cisco's DNA Center (DNAC) or with Cisco Prime Infrastructure management platforms. Cisco's Catalyst 9800 wireless network controllers can support Cisco Aironet 802.11ac Wave 1 and Wave 2 Wi-Fi access points as well as Catalyst 9100 Series Wi-Fi 6 APs. To find out more about Progent's support for Cisco 9800 line of 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 Wireless Controllers, see Catalyst 9800 family of Wi-Fi 6 wireless LAN controllers system planning, configuration, and debugging services.

Cisco Wi-Fi 5 802.11ac Wireless Network Controllers
Cisco Wave 2 wireless controllers enable realtime data exchange, deployment, control, analysis and debugging for Cisco wireless devices and services. Cisco offers both physical and software-based Wi-Fi controllers for centralized administration of WiFi networks, but networks with a large number of Wi-Fi APs are better served by hardware-based wireless controllers. Current generation Wi-Fi controller appliances from Cisco offer significant benefits over Wave 1 and older products including greater throughput, concurrent support for both 1G and 10G interfaces, enhanced application visibility and control, and advanced, integrated protection.

Cisco's 3504 WiFi Controller is an entry-level appliance with a desktop form factor and intended for small and medium-sized organizations. You can install the 3504 model in a centralized network environment such as in lean branch and home-based offices managed across the wide-area network via Cisco FlexConnect, or in bridge installations where Ethernet cabling is limited. The 3504 wireless controller can handle up to 150 access points and 3,000 client users, delivers 4 Gbps performance, and supports up to 4,096 VLANs. The 3504 controller features a Cisco Multigigabit interface (up to 5 Gigabit Ethernet) and four 1-Gigabit Ethernet connections. Access points can be attached to the controller via two PoE ports. The 3504 wireless controller features fast failover for APs and users, which allows nonstop availability for apps. Like other Wave 2 wireless controllers from Cisco, the 3504 device has the integrated capability to work with Cisco Prime Infrastructure, Cisco Mobility Services Engine, and Cisco 5520 and 8540 WiFi controllers.

Cisco's 5520 Wireless Controller, offered in a 1RU package, is intended to support larger enterprises and campus environments and can be used in centralized, distributed, and mesh deployments. The 5520 wireless controller can handle up to 1,500 access points and 20,000 users, offers 20 Gbps performance, and supports 4,096 VLANs. The 5520 model controller includes two 10 GE ports and features SSD storage, redundant fans, optional dual power supplies, and rapid failover for high availability.

The Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller, offered in a 2 rack unit (RU) package, is a high-end WiFi controller designed to support large enterprises, service providers, and large campus environments. The 8540 Wireless controller can be run in centralized, distributed, and mesh architectures and can handle up to 6,000 wireless APs and 64,000 users. The 8540 WiFi controller can deliver throughput as high as 40 Gbps and supports up to 4,096 VLANs. The 8340 includes four 1-GB or 10GE ports and features solid-state storage, backup power supplies, backup fans, and subsecond failover.

Wave 1 Cisco Wireless Network Controllers
Cisco wireless controllers reduce the time and expense needed to configure, manage, and operate wireless networks by offering single-point control of critical functions such as setting up access points, applying single-point policies across converged wired and wireless networks, supporting enterprise-wide Quality of Service for IP voice and video, tracking and troubleshooting system health, implementing wireless intrusion prevention system (wIPS) tools to defend against cyber break-ins and Distributed Denial of Service attacks, and managing IPv6 clients. Cisco has designed wireless network controllers for organizations of all sizes and can provide standalone desktop appliances, modular add-on controllers for Cisco routers and Catalyst switches, and switches with integrated wireless LAN controllers.

Cisco's Wave 1 wireless network controllers include Cisco CleanAir technology to avoid signal interference and create self-healing wireless LANs for top 802.11n and 802.11ac throughput and security. Built-in Bonjour Gateways enable discovery throughout the enterprise for Apple-based applications. For fault tolerance, Cisco wireless controllers support AP and client stateful failover by enabling a backup HA wireless controller to synch with a main wireless controller for access point license count, CAPWAP state and roaming keys, and access point CAPWAP state. If the primary controller fails, thousands of wireless access points and wireless clients can switchover at subsecond speeds to the backup wireless LAN controller.

Cisco's Wireless Module for ISR Routers with UCS-E offers basic 802.11n and 802.11ac support for Cisco 2900 and 3900 routers deployed by smaller organizations and branch offices. This value-priced and scalable solution can support up to 200 APs and up to 6000 clients. (For information concerning Progent's online and onsite consulting services for Cisco routers, refer to Cisco router deployment and troubleshooting consulting.)

Cisco Catalyst 3650 Series are 1RU form-factor switches intended for small to mid-size businesses and satellite offices and come with a built-in wireless controller with the ability to support 40 Gb of wireless capacity per switch and 25 access points and 1000 wireless clients on each switch or stack. Catalyst 3850 Series are 1RU rackmount switches intended for mid-size businesses and large enterprises and feature an integrated wireless LAN controller supporting up to 40 Gb of wireless capacity on each switch and the ability to handle up to 50 APs and 2000 wireless clients. The Wireless Services Module2 is a plug-in blade for Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series switches with a built-in wireless controller designed for mid-to-large size enterprises and able to deliver 20 Gbps performance and with support for 1000 access points and up to 15,000 wireless clients. (To find out concerning Progent's support for Cisco switches, refer to Cisco Catalyst switches deployment and troubleshooting consulting.)

Cisco 2500 Series Wireless Controllers are entry-level desktop devices that simplify the provisioning and operation of Wi-Fi LANs for small and midsize businesses and satellite offices. The 2500 Series wireless controller can manage from five to 75 wireless access points and 1000 wireless clients and can deliver sustained data rates of 1 Gbps.

The Cisco 5500 Series Wireless Controller is a scalable 1RU appliance designed for mid-to-large sized businesses and campuses and can support up to 500 wireless access points and 7,000 wireless clients while providing 8 Gbps throughput. The Cisco 5760 Wireless Controller is a 1RU appliance intended for mid-to-large campus environments with the ability to manage up to 1000 APs and 12,000 wireless clients and providing performance of 60 Gbps to accommodate high wireless client densities and high amounts of media-rich mobile applications.

Cisco's Flex 7500 Wireless Controller is intended to manage massive collections of wireless branches from one datacenter, eliminating the requirement for a Wi-Fi controller at every remote site. The 1RU Flex 7500 appliance allows you to build a private cloud to deploy, monitor, maintain, and troubleshoot up to 6000 access points and 64,000 wireless clients while handling 1 Gbps performance. The Cisco 8500 Wireless Controller is a 1RU rackmount appliance engineered to monitor and control Wi-Fi networks for very large campuses or service providers and can be expanded to handle up to 6000 access points and 64,000 wireless clients while delivering 10 Gbps throughput.

To learn more about Cisco wireless controllers, go to Cisco wireless controllers consulting and integration.

Legacy Cisco APs, Bridges and Controllers Supported by Progent
The introduction of the 802.11ac specification for wireless connectivity virtually rendered obsolete all prior releases of Wi-Fi devices for many venues that have high numbers of clients and high incidence of video-intensive software applications. Even for organizations who do not currently need the bandwidth efficiency of 802.11ac, a large number of Cisco wireless products have reached end-of-life status, which can pose significant maintenance and compliance problems. Progent's Cisco-certified consultants provide online and onsite support services for a broad array of earlier-generation wireless products from Cisco. Progent can in addition help organizations to assess the potential ROI for upgrading up-of-date wireless infrastructure and can assist in planning and executing affordable, non-disruptive upgrades. The following are a sample of Cisco older-generation wireless products that Progent's consultants continue to support.

Legacy Cisco Aironet Wireless Access Points
Cisco Aironet 1000 or 1130AG Series access points are designed for offices and other sites which have little environmental variability. These products include integrated antennas that provide dependable radio range patterns. The 1130G Series device is available for regulated locations that do not allow 5GHz operation.

Aironet 1230AG/1240AG family APs are intended for more challenging radio frequency situations such as manufacturing plants or above ceiling structures which often call for adjustable protruding antennas and durable enclosures. The Cisco 1240G Series access point is intended for restricted locations that do not allow 802.11a transmission.

Aironet 1500 Series lightweight outside mesh LAN access points deliver an affordable, expandable, protected outdoor wireless network technology for campus areas and for public venues that need access for portable phones or computers.

Legacy Cisco Aironet Wireless LAN Bridges
Cisco Aironet wireless bridges provide a high-throughput and multi-featured solution for connecting multiple local area networks in a metro situation or public access environment. Cisco Aironet wireless LAN bridges offer a versatile, easy-to-use technology that meets the security needs of wide-area networking specialists. These devices manage both point-to-point and PMP implementations with good coverage and the ability to handle data rates up to 54 Mbps.

Cisco Aironet wireless LAN bridges deliver throughput significantly higher than E1/T1 links for a fraction of the expense, avoiding the requirement for expensive leased lines when connecting separate offices. Because bridges carry no ongoing costs, savings on connection services quickly pay for the initial hardware investment. Self-installed private lines and in some cases leased lines made of copper or fiber-optic cable can result in high startup costs in cases where they are separated by barriers like highways, railroads, or lakes and rivers. Cisco wireless LAN bridges can be deployed quickly an offer a fast return on investment.

Aironet 1300 outside wireless access points/bridges can be implemented as stand-alone wireless access points, bridges, or wireless group bridges. These products have a durable cover and provide fast, affordable wireless interfaces between multiple fixed or mobile networks and users.

Aironet 1400 family wireless bridges provide fast, dependable outside wireless bridging for line-of-sight (LOS) applications. They are housed in a ruggedized cover that is optimized for harsh outdoor conditions and operate in broad temperature ranges.

Legacy Cisco Wireless Network Controllers
Cisco Wireless Network Controllers provide single-point management of wireless LANs by streamlining the control of key technologies including integrated intrusion prevention system (IPS), real-time RF management, zero touch configuration, and full N+1 redundancy. Cisco Wireless Network controllers work with small wireless access points to offer enhanced throughput and advanced control functions.

WLAN Controllers provide the manageability, expandability, security, and dependability that network managers need to create safe, large-scale wireless environments, from satellite offices to small companies to headquarter campuses. Cisco's first-generation Wireless Network Controllers can be clustered to provide accommodation for up to 2400 wireless access points for each roaming domain.

The Cisco WLCM or WLCM-E Controller Module for Integrated Services Routers provides small-to medium businesses (SMBs) and large corporations an affordable solution to implement and control secure WLANs at satellite offices. These wireless controllers manage up to a dozen Aironet wireless access points and are supported on Cisco 2800/3800 Series Integrated Services Routers and Cisco 3700 Series Integrated Services Routers. (To learn concerning Progent's remote and on-premises support for Cisco routers, refer to Cisco router deployment and troubleshooting support.)

How Progent Can Assist Your Business with Cisco Wireless Technology
Progent can provide access to a Cisco-certified consulting professional to help your business to plan, deploy, maintain and troubleshoot a converged wired/wireless ecosystem integrating a wide range of wireless technologies that provide the identical protection, expandability, and ease of management you demand from a wired environment. Progent can help you to manage early-generation Wi-Fi products from Cisco or upgrade seamlessly to current 802.11ax-compatible products. Progent's CISM and CISSP security consultants can advise you about how to build protection into your WLAN and your company's operations. Progent's disaster recovery planning consultants and business continuity consultants can show you how to configure the high availability features built into Cisco's wired/wireless technologies so your converged infrastructure delivers significant return on investment.

Progent's Wi-Fi Site Survey assists you to design and implement a state-of-the-art wireless network optimized for your environment, providing a wireless solution that provides seamless coverage, high performance and capacity, Quality of Service features to accommodate IP voice and video, advanced security, and easy management. Progent's Wireless Site Survey can be delivered remotely to cut time and expense, or on premises for more challenging situations.

For a more in-depth look at Progent's wireless consulting capabilities, see Progent's Wireless LAN Consulting.

To see additional information about Progent's professional expertise for Cisco networking products, choose a topic:

• Overview of Progent's Cisco Expertise
• Fast Online Assistance from a Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) Consultant
• Cisco Firepower NGFW Firewalls: Integration and Troubleshooting Support
• ASA 5500-X Firewalls with Cisco Firepower Services: Configuration and Troubleshooting Support
• Cisco ASA 5500 Firewalls Consulting Help
• PIX 500 Firewall Troubleshooting Services
• Cisco Routers Configuration and Troubleshooting Services
• Aironet Wireless Access Points Consulting Services
• Cisco Small Business Wireless Access Points Consulting Help
• Catalyst 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6/6E Access Points Solution Design, Deployment and Debugging Consulting
• Cisco WiFi Controllers Experts
• Meraki APs Design Expertise
• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM or Unified CM) and Cisco CallManager Consulting and Troubleshooting
• Cisco Voice over IP Phones and IP Video Desktop Phones Consulting Services and Cisco Wireless VoIP Phone Configuration
• Cisco Jabber Configuration and Troubleshooting Expertise
• Cisco Catalyst Switches Engineering Expertise
• Nexus Switches Support and Troubleshooting Services
• Cisco Meraki Switches Deployment Services
• Cisco VPN Setup and Troubleshooting Support
• SIP and CUBE Infrastructure Solutions: SIP Trunks and CUBE Integration Expertise
• Design and Support for Cisco-powered Datacenters
• Data Center Design Consulting for Service Providers
• Remote Management Strategies for Cisco Infrastructure